Oscars 2021: ‘Nomadland' Wins Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards

This is CNBC's live blog covering the 93rd annual Academy Awards. The coverage on this live blog has ended.

The 93rd annual Academy Awards made history before the first award was even handed out.

After years of criticism for a lack of diversity, this year's slate of nominees contained some notable firsts. It was the first time an all-Black producing team was nominated for best picture, the first time two actors of Asian descent received a nod for best actor and the first year that two women were nominated for best director. When the winners were revealed, it reflected this spirit of inclusion.

Chloe Zhao took home the best directing trophy, becoming the second woman to claim the title. Her film, "Nomadland," also snagged the top prize of the night, best picture.

However, in a strange balk of tradition, the award was not presented last. Instead it was handed out before the best actress and best actor awards. It is unclear why the Academy made this change.

Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson, two-thirds of the hairstyling and makeup team behind "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," also made history on Sunday. The pair are the first Black women to receive a nomination for best makeup and hairstyling and now, the first to win.

"Soul," which took home the best animated feature award, is also Pixar's first film to feature a Black character in the lead.

Yuh-Jung Youn was the first Korean performer to win in one of the four acting categories. Youn won the best supporting actress prize for her work in Lee Isaac Chung's "Minari."

The biggest upset of the night was Anthony Hopkins winning the best actor trophy over the late Chadwick Boseman. Boseman posthumously took home the best acting awards at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards this year.

Netflix won the night, taking home seven trophies — two for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," two for "Mank" and then individual awards for best live-action short, best animated short and best documentary feature.

Disney had the second-largest haul with five, including three wins for "Nomadland" and two for "Soul."

The ceremony itself was a much more intimate experience for attendees and the audience at home. Due to travel restrictions and a need for greater social distancing because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this year's show was spread out across several locations.

Union Station was used as the main set piece for the show, with attendees rotating in and out of the ceremony in order to limit the number of people gathered at one time.

The ceremony also was treated like a movie set. Nominees were permitted to remain maskless while on camera, but had to place their masks back on when the cameras stopped rolling.

While there were moments of levity, like Glenn Close dancing to "Da Butt," this year's Oscars were subdued and focused mainly on the awards themselves. With Covid restrictions, there was limited banter between presenters and most awards were only given out by one person.

In fact, unlike previous years, there were few skits or sketches during the show and all of the best song nominees' performances were prerecorded and were played before the main event began, as guests were greeted on the Red Carpet.

Here is the full list of Academy Award nominees for Sunday's ceremony.

Best actor upset: Anthony Hopkins beats out Chadwick Boseman

Heading into Sunday's ceremony, the late Chadwick Boseman appeared to be a shoo-in for the best actor win.

The actor, who was nominated for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," posthumously took home the best acting awards at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards this year.

However, it was Anthony Hopkins' heartbreaking performance in "The Father," that garnered the win. Hopkins was not present at the ceremony or via video. The Academy accepted the award on his behalf.

Boseman was honored during the in memoriam segment of the Oscars program.

Best actor

And the winner is...Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"

Also nominated:
Riz Ahmed, "Sound of Metal"
Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Gary Oldman, "Mank"
Steven Yeun, "Minari"

Best actress

And the winner is...Frances McDormand, "Nomadland"

Also nominated:
Viola Davis, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Andra Day, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"
Vanessa Kirby, "Pieces of a Woman"
Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"

Academy breaks with tradition, announces best picture before top acting categories

In a break with tradition, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the best picture winner before it announced the recipients of best actor and best actress. Typically, the best picture award is saved as the final reveal of the evening.

"Nomadland" was named as the best picture.

Best picture

And the winner is..."Nomadland"

Also nominated:
"The Father"
"Judas and the Black Messiah"
"Mank"
"Minari"
"Promising Young Woman"
"Sound of Metal"
"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Tyler Perry 'refuses to hate' in acceptance speech for Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

"My mother taught me to refuse hate," said filmmaker Tyler Perry as he accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award during the 93rd annual Academy Awards Sunday.

"She taught me to refuse blanket judgement," he said. "And in this time, and with all of the internet and social media and algorithms and everything that wants us to think a certain way, the 24-hour news cycle, it is my hope that all of us will teach our kids … just refuse hate."

This award honors individuals who have made "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes."

"Don't hate anybody," Perry added. "I refuse to hate someone because they are Mexican or because they are Black or white or LGBTQ. I refuse to hate someone because they are a police officer. I refuse to hate someone because they are Asian. I would hope that we would refuse hate."

He concluded his speech by dedicating his award to "anyone who wants to stand in the middle, no matter what's around the walls, to stand in the middle because that's where healing happens, that's where conversation happens, that's where change happens."

—Sarah Whitten

Best original song

And the winner is..."Fight for You," "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Also nominated:
"Husavik (My Hometown)," "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"
"Io Si (Seen)," "The Life Ahead"
"Speak Now," "One Night in Miami"
"Hear My Voice," "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best original score

And the winner is..."Soul"

Also nominated:
"Da 5 Bloods"
"Mank"
"Minari"
"News of the World"

Best film editing

And the winner is..."Sound of Metal"

Also nominated:
"The Father"
"Nomadland"
"Promising Young Woman"
"Sound of Metal"
"The Trial of the Chicago 7″

Best cinematography

And the winner is..."Mank"

Also nominated:
"Judas and the Black Messiah"
"News of the World"
"Nomadland"
"The Trial of the Chicago 7″

Best production design

And the winner is..."Mank"

Also nominated:
"The Father"
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
"News of the World"
"Tenet"

Actress in a supporting role

And the winner is...Yuh-Jung Youn, "Minari"

Also nominated:
Maria Bakalova, "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"
Glenn Close, "Hillbilly Elegy"
Olivia Colman, "The Father"
Amanda Seyfried, "Mank"

Best visual effects

And the winner is..."Tenet"

Also nominated:
"Love and Monsters"
"The Midnight Sky"
"Mulan"
"The One and Only Ivan"

Best documentary feature

And the winner is..."My Octopus Teacher"

Also nominated:
"Collective"
"Crip Camp"
"The Mole Agent"
"Time"

Best documentary short subject

And the winner is..."Colette"

Also nominated:
"A Concerto is a Conversation"
"Do Not Split"
"Hunger Ward"
"A Love Song For Latasha"

Best animated feature

And the winner is..."Soul"

Also nominated:
"Onward"
"Over the Moon"
"A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon"
"Wolfwalkers"

Best animated short film

And the winner is..."If Anything Happens I Love You"

Also nominated:
"Burrow"
"Genius Loci"
"Opera"
"Yes-People"

Chloe Zhao becomes second woman to win best director at Academy Awards

Chloe Zhao made history at the Academy Awards on Sunday. The director of "Nomadland" is the second woman to win the best directing awards in nearly 100 years.

She is also the first woman of color to win the award.

"This is for anyone who has the faith and courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves," she said during her acceptance speech.

Zhao was the front-runner heading into the Oscar ceremony, having won directing awards from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Directors Guild of America.

Best live action short film

And the winner is..."Two Distant Strangers"

Also nominated:
"Feeling Through"
"The Letter Room"
"The Present"
"White Eye"

Best sound

And the winner is..."Sound of Metal"

Also nominated:
"Greyhound"
"Mank"
"News of the World"
"Soul"

Best director

And the winner is... Chloe Zhao, "Nomadland"

Also nominated:
Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari"
Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"
David Fincher, "Mank"
Thomas Vinterberg, "Another Round"

Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson make history at 93rd Academy Awards

Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson, two-thirds of the hairstyling and makeup team behind "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," made history on Sunday. The pair are the first Black women to receive a nomination for best makeup and hairstyling and, now, the first to win.

"I want to say thank you to our ancestors who put the work in, were denied but never gave up," Neal said in her acceptance speech.

"And I also stand here as Jamika and I break this glass ceiling with so much excitement because I can picture Black trans women standing up here, and Asian sisters and our Latina sisters and indigenous women, and I know that one day it won't be unusual or ground-breaking. It will just be normal," she said.

Makeup artist Sergio Lopez-Rivera is also part of the Oscar-winning team.

—Sarah Whitten

Best costume design

And the winner is..."Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Also nominated:

"Emma"
"Mank"
"Mulan"
"Pinocchio"

Best hair and makeup

And the winner is... "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Also nominated:
"Emma"
"Hillbilly Elegy"
"Mank"
"Pinocchio"

Thomas Vinterberg dedicates Oscar win to daughter, who died in car accident 2019

During an emotional speech, while accepting the Oscar for best international feature, Thomas Vinterberg paid tribute to his daughter Ida, who was killed in a car accident four days after the film started shooting.

"We miss her, and I love her," he said. "We ended up making this movie for her, it's her monument."

Vinterberg's "Another Round" tells the story of four friends, all high school teachers, who test a theory that they will improve their lives if they maintain a constant level of alcohol in their blood.

—Sarah Whitten

Best supporting actor

And the winner is... Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Also nominated:
Sacha Baron Cohen, "The Trial of the Chicago 7"
Leslie Odom Jr., "One Night in Miami"
Paul Raci, "Sound of Metal"
LaKeith Stanfield, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Best international feature

And the winner is... "Another Round"

Also nominated:
"Better Days"
"Collective"
"The Man Who Sold His Skin"
"Quo Vadis, Aida?"

Regina King opens the 93rd annual Academy Awards

The 93rd Academy Awards opened with Regina King, director of the Oscar nominated film "One Night in Miami," strutting through Union Station. As King made her way to the stage, colorful credits popped up on screen, showcasing the presenters of Sunday's program.

"It has been quite a year and we are still smack dab in the middle of it," King said to kick off the program. "We are mourning the loss of so many, and I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis, I might have traded in my heels for marching boots."

She was quick to add: "Now, I know that a lot of you people at home are going to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you, but as a mother of a Black son, I know the fear that so many live with and no amount of fame or fortune changes that."

King then explained that the ceremony would be treated like a movie set. Nominees would be permitted to remain maskless while on camera, but would place their masks back on when the cameras stopped rolling.

—Sarah Whitten

How brands like Expedia, Google and Cadillac will show up on the Oscars

Despite stagnating ratings on awards shows, advertisers are still turning to the Oscars in a big way.

Disney Advertising Sales said Thursday it had sold out of ad inventory for the telecast, which will feature campaigns from the likes of Verizon, Expedia and General Motors' Cadillac. Other advertisers will include Google, Rolex, Airbnb, Apple, P&G, Panera, Subway and more. ABC had been seeking $2 million for 30 seconds on the broadcast.

Expedia's ad is meant to show the company's updated experience of its app and websites to focus more on working with consumers on their trips. The U.S. television spot stars Rashida Jones helping a wayward traveler through a number of tribulations, like escaping from an overrun influencer wall or finding her hotel on a crowded street.

Cadillac's new campaign, called "The Light Makers," is meant to show the interior and exterior lighting featured in its 2023 Lyriq vehicle in this spot.

One of Google's ads is titled "A CODA Story," referring to the phrase "child of a deaf adult." In a blog post, Google Brand Studio senior designer Tony Lee talks about how Google's live captioning technology can add captions to audio on videos.

-- Megan Graham

Minari's Alan Kim memorable red carpet moment

Although Minari's Alan Kim did not receive an Oscar nomination for his role, he stole the hearts of many viewers around the world.

The actor, who recently turned 9 years old, walked the red carpet with Minari producer Christina Oh on Sunday at Union Square in the Oscars pre-show.

Kim accepted a Critics Choice Award in March and went viral as he teared up during his adorable speech.

—Katie Tsai

Best adapted screenplay

And the winner is... "The Father"

Also nominated:
"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"
"The Father
"Nomadland"
"One Night in Miami"
"The White Tiger"

Best original screenplay

And the winner is... "Promising Young Woman"

Also nominated:
"Judas and the Black Messiah"
"Minari"
"Sound of Metal"
"The Trial of the Chicago 7″

Do the Oscars signal a return to normalcy for the film industry? Academy president David Rubin hopes so

David Rubin, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is hopeful that Sunday's awards ceremony is just the start of a return to normalcy for the film industry.

"The primary goal really, in this year where we've been facing so many challenges and so many changes, was to actually assure that there actually will be an event that will honor these amazing filmmakers for their extraordinary work this year and to do it safely," he said during the televised pre-show on ABC.

"And hopefully lead the way to a light at the end of the tunnel where we will be able to join our friends and our families and our co-workers at parties and dinners and, ideally at movie theaters, where they can see these films as they were intended to be seen."

Rubin, the famed casting director behind "Big Little Lies," "Hairspray" and "Men in Black," was reelected to the position of president of the Academy last July.

Netflix has the most nominations, but that may not translate to wins

In recent years, Netflix's films have had no trouble earning top spots on Oscar ballots, but it has had a hard time turning those nominations into trophies.

The streaming service first appeared on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' radar in 2013 when it was nominated for best documentary feature for "The Square."

Eight years later, Netflix has a total of 36 Oscar nominations across 17 films — the most of any distributor in this year's slate. Its film "Mank," a film centered around "Citizen Kane" co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, leads the pack with 10 nods.

While Netflix is outpacing its rivals in nominations in recent years, it hasn't collected many wins. Since 2013, the streamer has garnered 54 nominations and eight wins.

Last year, Netflix had 24 nominations, the most of any distributor at the Academy Awards, but won only two categories. It seems the streaming service could be poised for a repeat of that fate this year. However, Netflix's track record of nominations proves that it has a place in Hollywood.

The Oscars' red carpet features maskless celebrities and nominees

Just looking at the nominees on this year's red carpet, you'd almost forget that the world is still in the midst of a global pandemic.

The stars are dressed to the nines and many can be seen smiling, sans the face masks that have become so commonplace in the last year.

While attendees of the the 93rd annual Academy Awards are not required to wear masks on-camera, they will be sporting the face coverings during commercial breaks and while conversing with others off-camera.

Despite obvious social distancing measures between interviewers and celebrity nominees, the glamour of the red carpet is a strange — and welcome — return to normalcy. It should help set the award show apart from the others that have aired since the pandemic began.

—Sarah Whitten

The Academy combined sound editing and sound mixing into one category

This year's Oscars will see the sound editing and sound mixing awards combined into one category. The new award is now known as the Academy Award for sound.

This change was viewed as inevitable by many in the industry, as there is a great deal of overlap between the two disciplines. Editing involves creating and gathering individual sounds while mixing is what happens to those sounds afterward.

This year's nominees for best sound are:

• "Greyhound"
• "Mank"
• "News of the World"
• "Soul"
• "Sound of Metal"

‘Nomadland’ leads the pack for best picture heading into the Oscars

Heading into Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, there are a few clear front-runners in major categories like best picture and best director, but the race is still wide open in others, like best actress.

Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" has swept the awards season and seems poised to nab best picture as well as the best directing award for the filmmaker, barring any unforeseen upsets.

Chadwick Boseman, who unexpectedly passed away after a four-year battle with colon cancer that he concealed from the public, is likely to pick up the best actor award for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

Daniel Kaluuya is expected to snag the best supporting actor trophy for his performance in "Judas and the Black Messiah," while Yuh-Jung Youn appears to be on track to become the second Asian woman to win an acting prize at the ceremony.

The best actress award, on the other hand, is anyone's guess. A different actress won the prize at the top award shows leading up to the Oscars.

For the first time in Academy Award history, two women have been nominated for best director

For the first time in Academy Awards history, two women have been nominated for best director. In the 93-year run of the awards, only five other women have been recognized in the category, even though more than a dozen films directed by a female filmmaker have been nominated for best picture during that time.

Chloe Zhao ("Nomadland") and Emerald Fennell ("Promising Young Woman") are the latest additions to that list, and there's a strong chance that one of them will take home the prize. After all, Zhao has already won directing awards from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Directors Guild of America.

If Zhao takes home a win, she will be the second woman to do so in nearly 100 years. The last was Kathryn Bigelow, who won the Oscar in 2010 for "The Hurt Locker."

Lina Wertmuller ("Seven Beauties"), Jane Campion ("The Piano"), Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation") and Greta Gerwig ("Lady Bird") are the only other female directors who have been up for the best directing award.

The historic nomination of two female directors signals that Hollywood is changing. Not only are women getting more opportunities within the industry, they are opening the door for a new generation of female filmmakers.

How the Academy plans to pull off a socially distanced Oscar ceremony

For the last two decades, the Academy Awards have been held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. However, due to travel restrictions and a need for greater social distancing, this year's show will be spread across several locations.

Union Station will be used as one set piece for the show. Attendees will rotate in and out of the ceremony in order to limit the number of people gathered at one time since capacity audience capacity is capped at 170 people.

For nominees and presenters that were unable to travel to the U.S., the production has set up a separate hub in the U.K. and more than 20 satellite hookups around the world.

Because of social distancing restrictions, the red carpet will also look very different this year. The Academy is holding an abbreviated form of the traditional entry with fewer reporters. Interviewers are being required to stand at least 7 feet away from interviewees.

Best original song nominees will perform before the Oscar ceremony

This year's best original song nominees will perform ahead of the Academy Awards telecast.

The songs will be pre-taped, performed in full and will air as part of "Oscars: Into the Spotlight," which starts 1 1/2 hours before the awards show.

Four of the performances were taped on the rooftop of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, while the fifth performance was taped in Iceland.

Here are the nominees for best original song:

• "Husavik (My Hometown)," "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"
• "Fight for You," "Judas and the Black Messiah"
• "Io Si (Seen)," "The Life Ahead"
• "Speak Now," "One Night in Miami"
• "Hear My Voice," "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

How to watch the 2021 Academy Awards without cable

The 93rd Academy Awards are set to kick off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

For those that wish to tune into the annual awards show, but don't have cable, there are plenty of options.

The ceremony will be available to stream on:

• Hulu with Live TV
• YouTube TV
• AT&T TV
• Fubo TV
• ABC.com or the ABC app